War Basics
Sometimes, the players will find themselves in charge of entire armies that they take to battle. Of course, this completely changes the way a battle is fought, and thus there is a different, fairly simple, system for large-scale wars. The system: Wars are fought as a turn-based affair using game pieces to represent units. Units meet in battle, and at the end of the turn, enemy units that meet clash. Victory is decided based on d20 rolls, with appropriate modifiers. The person with the higher roll wins, and destroys an enemy unit of the enemy's choice. Rounds: Wars are fought in a turn-based manner, but clashes occur at the end of each round. The player who moves second each round has a distinct advantage. Thus, each round, the turn order reverses, so the person who went last last round goes first this round. Maps: Wars are fought on a grid-based map. The maps can have various obstacles, but the most important aspect is that units each have a maximum number of spaces they can move in a turn. Units: Units consist of individual, independently mobile groups of soldiers. Depending on the battle environment and scale, units can range from 10 men to thousands of soldiers. Units can be split into two general types: : Melee: Melee units are capable of fighting only with enemy units a square or less away, but can be attacked. : Ranged: Ranged units are capable of attacking enemies more than a square away, though their power dwindles with distance. Ranged units can not attack a unit a square or less away, but can be attacked. All units have two stats: : Speed: An indication of the number of squares this unit can move in a turn. Typical speeds range from 2-4 squares. : Damage: A units damage indicates the modifier it adds to the clash roll. Damage can be static, or can vary based on range or other traits unique to certain kinds of units. Units can vary wildly based on whatever is necessary or interesting for a battle. For instance, a land battle good have weak rookie units, high-speed, low damage scout units, low-speed, high damage siege units and more. To give a specific unit more flavor beyond its two stats, damage can be designed to act uniquely. Units can also have special powers tied to them that can be used with GM discretion. Clashes: '''When units meet on the battlefield at the end of a round, they clash. Clashes occur by both players rollng a d20, then adding the damage modifiers of their clashing units. The player with the higher resulting roll wins the clash, and destroys the oppositions unit. The losing player chooses the unit that gets destroyed. Clashes do not have to occur with only 2 opposing units. Rather, all ranged units within attacking range, and all melee units within 1 square of the clash are part of it. Instead of rolling for each unit, you simply add the combined damage modifiers to your roll. : Note that there may be some situations in which it is difficult to completely tell what units are clashing. At this point, it is up to the GM's discretion, making it as simple and realistic as possible. '''Damage Bonuses: '''Various damage bonuses are added due to clash situations. There are many options for this, but here are a few simple ones: : Ambush Bonus - The ambushing side gets a +3 Damage modifier to their roll : Flanking Bonus - The flanking side gets a +2 Damage modifier to their roll : Player Bonus - A unit that contains a player gets a bonus based on the player's ability. More on this in the next section. '''Player Characters: Player characters do not suddenly disappear during wars. First and foremost, they are the ones running the show. Generally they control one side while the GM controls the other. However, player characters play an integral role besides calling the shots. Each PC has his or her own stats determined by their character level and movement speed. The PC chooses a unit to become a part of, and adds their player bonus on top. However, player characters can also move between units at their normal player speed. If the unit the player is in is destroyed, they survive and can move to a different unit. Player stats are determined as below: : Player Speed: Speed is determined as a function of the player's movement speed. If the player can move 30 feet/turn in normal battles, they can move 3 squares/round in war games. This conversion can change based on location however. For instances, an naval battle will have to consider a player's swimming ability or rowboat speed instead. : Player Damage Bonus: The player damage bonus is determined by the player's current level. Level 1-4 players get +1, 5-8 players get +2, and 9-12 players get +3. Player Powers: ''' A final special trait of players is their player powes. These are largely going to be the task of the GM to make, generally based on the PC's normal techniques. While players are allowed to invent their own, it's up to the GM to make sure they are balanced. Player powers can be creative and game-changing. However, the more powerful they are, the less often they can be used. Player powers usually can be used no more than once every 3 rounds, sometimes less. Players can use them any time during their turn, or during a clash. : GM's can give the enemies player powers too. This allows each battle to be different. '''Victory: '''Victory can be decided based on what best suits the situation. At the extreme, a total wipeout of the foe's units is a victory. However, surrender and retreat are viable as well. '''Examples: Units: : Millitia Unit: Speed: +3, Power: +2 : Archer Unit: Speed: +2, Power: +6 - 2*distance (where distance is number of squares : Zemy Commando Unit: Speed: +4, Power: +5, +7 at night Player Powers: : Tactician: Once every 3 turns, the player can choose to go last on a round where they are supposed to go first. : Sharpshooter: Once every 5 turns, the player chooses which enemy unit is destroyed during a clash victory. : Fervor: Once every 3 turns, you may add an additional +4 to a clash roll. Category:RPG Basics